We’ve all heard the old saying “you get what you pay for.” Nowhere is this sage advice more applicable than plastic surgery, especially facelifts.
One type of cheap facelift procedure called a thread-lift has been singled out as being especially wasteful and risky. The procedure makes use of implanted metal barbed threads. While it is cheaper than a standard facelift, it does not work well at all and is discouraged by surgeons at our Florida plastic surgery clinic.
A recent study by state researchers and independent assessors in New York surveyed 33 patients and compared the results for three different procedures: thread-lifts alone, non-surgical facelift procedures, including fat injections and chemical peels and a combination of the first two.
Patients showed noticeable improvement one month into the survey but when researchers came back 12 to 31 months later, only patients who underwent the non-surgical procedures noticed a lasting improvement with their appearance.
Those who underwent the thread-lift operation showed no lasting improvement at all. In fact, improvement in skin tightness in the beginning came from facial swelling and not the barbs themselves. As the swelling decreased, so did the tightness, leaving the patient with a face full of “fish hooks.”
Researchers concluded with these findings, along with the risk of adverse affects and patient discomfort, that this cheap facial rejuvenation procedure could not be justified.
The lesson here – don’t focus on cost alone. It’s better to spend a little more and get something right the first time rather than think you’re saving a few bucks just to find out you will have to go back for more work, costing you more money.